Suez

The history and the practical solutions for the building of the Suez Canal are brought to light in this lavish production of Suez. Tyrone Power is perfect casting for this role, and his romantic interest is the Canal, itself. The rest of the cast, however, does a very good job supporting Power. The Egyptian Prince who is a real softie, befriends Power and eventually gets him permission to build the Canal in Egypt. The only sticking point are the Ottoman Turks, who oppose the building of the Canal for political reasons. A good biopic for late at night.

Probably one of the least accurate historical dramas done by the old Hollywood Studio System is Suez with Tyrone Power cast as Ferdinand DeLesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal. Any resemblance to the facts involving the canal and its construction are purely coincidental, in fact both English and French history gets badly skewered in Suez.

Ferdinand DeLesseps should only have been as dashing and as handsome as Tyrone Power, he probably wishes he was. He was never involved in any romantic way with the Empress Eugene of France played by Loretta Young. As for the character that Annabella who was Mrs. Tyrone Power at the time plays, we've sure got no basis in fact for what she does to save Power and the canal itself. Take my word it's quite the sacrifice.

The film has DeLesseps taking over the assignment his father had as consul general for France to Egypt. While there DeLesseps conceives the idea of rebuilding the ancient canal over the isthmus of Suez. And as the film's story unfolds he sacrifices everything to get it. Of course it's all fiction.

The name of Benjamin Disraeli is as linked in history to the Suez Canal as DeLesseps. But how he got involved is also complete fiction. It took place after the canal was complete and while quite a coup for the British at the time, it was hardly anything heroic. Miles Mander plays Disraeli without quite the same flair as George Arliss did nor even Ian McShane in the acclaimed BBC series in the Seventies.

But if you like historical romance than Suez is definitely the film for you.

Biopic upon Ferdinand de Lesseps : Tyrone Power who built the famous canal from Port Said to Suez . It is inspired by real events, being freely adapted by screenwriter Philip Dunne taking some actual facts here and there. It deals with Lesseps , his lovers : Loretta Young , Annabella , and his relationship with historical people as Napoleon III : Leon Ames , Benjamin Disraeli : Miles Mander , Gladstone : George Zucco, Egyptian Sultan : J Edward Bromberg, among others . He changed the map of the World!

This is a stirring and interesting saga about one of the world's most astonishing engineering achievements , dealing with a brave Man of two loves and one mighty deed . Well handling the human drama along with historic happenings , though director is partially unable -undeed unwiling- to combine both strands of his story in contrast to filmmakers as William Wyler , Raoul Walsh , King Vidor or Anthony Mann. In fact , Suez is a series of moving events and unfortunate incidents unconnected by dramatic urgency . In the film appears various historical characters , being well played , such as : Napoleon III : Leon Ames , his wife the Spanish Eugenia de Montijo : Loretta Young , Prime Ministers Gladstone : George Zucco and Benjamin Disraeli : Miles Mander. Adding other notorious secondaries and familiar faces : Nigel Bruce , J Edward Bromberg , Joseph Schildkraut , Henry Stephenson , Sidney Blackmer, Rafaela Ottiano and Sig Ruman . The action/disaster sequences are competently assured without ever going over the top. They are some impressive escenarios, as well as spectacular set pieces , including rocks falling, catastrophes , wild thunders causing destruction , wreck havoc and chaos on the monumental construction that are the highlights of the movie , but marred by excessive matte-painting.

The motion picture was well directed by Allan Dwan, it has virtues and some flaws, too. In his films Allan Dawn is compellingly concerned with the modest virtues of fairness and honesty , he was a prolific artisan, shooting all kinds of genres with penchant for western and adventure, such as : Enchanted island, The Restless Breed , Escape to Burma , Pearl of the South Pacific , Tennesse's Partner , Cattle Queen Montana , Passion , Silver Lode , Montana Belle , Northwest Outpost , Around the World, Young People, The Gorilla, The Three Musketeers , Heidi , Manhandled , The Iron Mask, Robin Hood , and many others . Rating 6.5/10 , decent historical/adventure/drama .

This is a very solid 20th Century Fox/Tyrone Power epic film. While not the best Power ever did, it is still very good and worth seeing. Plus, it gives people a chance to see the real-life Mrs. Power, actress Annabella. Rarely do you get a chance to see actors starring with their wives. The film score, sets, direction and script are all very good--though perhaps a little too much emphasis is placed on romance. Oh well, perhaps that's what you get for putting your wife in the film (just kidding). After you see this film, you might also then try watching the movie DISRAELI, so you can find out that just a few years after the French almost single-handedly built the canal, the British swooped in and obtained a 50% interest! Now that's cheeky!

There could never be a product like this turned out today. The people are just not out there - at least not in the picture business.

Zanuck expressed the opinion that Annabella was the only one of Power's wives good enough for Power. Zanuck was never one to always hit it exactly right on the head but he got it right with this one. Watch these two in this - it's a union of giants!

Loretta Young !!!! Just plainly the most beautiful woman who ever lived. If Eugenie was one tenth this beautiful she deserved to wear a crown and live a hundred years, as the fortune teller predicted, and as Eugenie in fact did. Even Power's co-stars Madeleine Carroll in LLOYDS OF LONDON and Gene Tierney/Frances Farmer in SON OF FURY, ravishing as they all were, were not Young's equal.

Victoria was badmouthed as too prim and proper but according to Zanuck she must have walked out on a few wires or otherwise there would have been some holdups on both the Suez Canal and the telephone (see ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL).

There are so many elements in this that represent the very pinnacle of moviemaking that it would be gilding the lily to begin to enumerate them. We can but savor this thankfully as a flawless treasure; an example of the American commercial movie as an art form in the consummate sense.